Our objective is to develop a synthetic route to the trichothecanes, specifically verrucarol, based on the notion that the central ring of the tricyclic system may be obtained from a derivative of D-glucose. Such a synthesis would afford the trichothecanes as the naturally occurring enantiomers. It would be required to carry out one or two alkylations at every site, excepting C5, of the sugar, and our aim is to achieve this in a stereocontrolled manner by utilizing the pyranose ring as a stereochemical template. Methods for doing such reactions are, by and large, not present in the carbohydrate literature and therefore have to be developed. The approach being pursued currently is based on the realization that C5 and C6 of the tricyclic trichothecane system are both geminally alkylated. We have studied the use of the Claisen rearrangement to achieve such geminal alkylation. Thus a secondary alcohol is oxidised to a ketone which is then elaborated into a allylic alcohol needed for the rearrangement. These processes proceed with much stereoselectivity and the branches, vinyl and acetaldehyde, are highly compatible with the desired transformations.